Ailing Agents
by Sherlock River Hekate
Summary: None of the Kingsman agents were very good at acknowledging when they are unwell. Three short stories, each focusing on a different agent.
1. Eggsy

Eggsy woke in the middle of the night, the sky still pitch outside his window. He shivered and wrapped his blankets tighter around him, closing his eyes. He noted in the back of his mind that his throat felt a bit sore, but that was probably because he'd slept with his mouth open again and drooled on his pillow. He fell back into a dreamless sleep.  
He woke up to his alarm at 7am the next morning, cracking his eyes open and squinting at the light. Groggily he made his way to the shower, hoping the hot water would wake him up. He spent so long in the shower that by the time he got dressed, he was running late to get to the manor on time, even with the high speed train from the shop to the main headquarters. He rushed out the door, hoping he'd be able to grab some biscuits and importantly coffee once he got in. As he stepped off the train he came across Merlin.  
"Ah, there ye are," he addressed Eggsy, "Ye remember ye got a meeting with Arthur in half an hour. An' I'm still waiting fo' that paperwork from yer last mission."  
"I got time to grab a cuppa first, yea?" Eggsy croaked.  
Merlin looked at him strangely.  
"Ye feelin' okay?"  
"Yea," Eggsy brushed it off. "Just a bit of a dry throat, haven't had anything to drink yet this morning."  
Merlin nodded, "off ye go then. I still want that paperwork."  
Eggsy laughed as he headed to the dining hall.  
"All in due time, Merlin," he called.  
"It's been two weeks Gawain," the Scot shouted to the other man's retreating back.  
Eggsy made himself a steaming cup of coffee and the proceeded to Arthur's office. The new Arthur was far less stuck up than the old one, not caring one bit about gender or class or even race, so long as you were the best at your job. He also had a good sense of humour, offering to bring back the title of Mordred for Eggsy.  
Through the meeting with Arthur, the young knight cradled his cup. The drink hadn't really helped his dry throat much, and his neck was getting stiff from sitting still. After he left the meeting with Arthur, Eggsy made his way to the warmth of his office. He opened up his report and started typing, hoping to finish it and hand it into Merlin today. As the morning wore on, less and less words were being typed and Eggsy started to feel a headache coming on. He stretched and downed a glass of water before turning back to the report.  
About half an hour later, Roxy knocked on his office door.  
"Come in," he mumbled from where his head was resting on his forearms.  
She strode onto the room and stood next to the wooden desk.  
"Gawain," she said.  
Eggsy made a mumbled noise but didn't look up.  
"Eggsy," she tried again more sharply.  
The other knight looked up, whether it was from his name or her tone, Roxy wasn't sure.  
"Whaddaya want?" he asked, his voice rasping out.  
"You look like hell," tumbled out of Roxy's mouth before she could stop it.  
"Yea, fanks," her friend replied sarcastically, his accent thick. "I didn't sleep well last night. 'm just tired and Merlin wants this report."  
"You're still working on the report from out Sussex mission?" She asked incredulously, "It was a simple recon task. I handed mine in a week ago."  
"If he's got yours I don't see why he wants mine as well," Eggsy grumbled. "'sides I was looking after Daisy for mum last week, she had a few days off school."  
Roxy smiled, he was a good brother.  
"I came to see if you wanted to go get some lunch," she told him.  
"Depends," he replied, "What have they got?"  
"Chicken chow Mein and Thai green curry," Roxy replied.  
"Igraine's got the goods," Eggsy replied getting up. He felt his head throb and hid a grimace.

Both young knights made their way to the dining hall and served themselves food. They both went for the curry, Eggsy mixing his with into fried rice while Roxy stuck to the jasmine rice. As they were heading to a table, Roxy waved to Merlin and Harry, who beckoned the pair over to their table.  
"Lancelot, Gawain," Harry addressed them as they sat down.  
"Hey Harry," Eggsy replied, collapsing into a chair. Harry raised an eyebrow at him but Eggsy ignored it.  
"Afternoon Galahad, Merlin," Roxy said before digging into her lunch.  
"How's that report comin' Gawain?" Merlin asked.  
Eggsy swallowed a mouthful, barely hiding a grimace as he it seemed to scratch down his throat.  
"Yea, I'm getting there," he told the Scotsman, "you'll have it by the end of the day."  
As he continued eating, Eggsy noticed his throat was getting painful. He stopped eating and took a mouthful of water. He made a face before he could stop himself and Harry looked at him in concern.  
"Are you alright?" He asked the younger man.  
"Throat's a bit sore," Eggsy admitted, "might have to finish up the report and go home."  
The Scottish tech wizard looked at the younger knight. "Ye report's late enough, go home if ye need ta," he said, tone gentle.  
Eggsy shook his head and stood up. "I'll be right to finish it, but I reckon I'll take a sleep in tomorrow."

True to his word, Eggsy finished the report and made his way home. When he made it inside he toed off his oxfords and shucked his jacket before curling up in a ball on his couch and promptly falling asleep.  
A few hours later, Eggsy woke up. Lifting his wrist he saw that his watch read 8.20pm. He groaned and shifted into a sitting position. His throat and neck still hurt, and now he felt light headed too.  
'Maybe it's just 'cause I haven't eaten,' he thought to himself. He slowly pulled himself to his feet and trudged to his kitchen. Opening his pantry he stared at the shelves looking for something that wouldn't require much effort to make. JB stood next to him, staring balefully at his owner. Eggsy looked at his dog and then back at the shelves.  
"Alright JB, how does spaghetti on toast sound?"  
The dog waffled at him.  
"No, not for you," he chuckled then coughed, "You get some biscuits. I get spaghetti on toast."  
He grabbed a can of spaghetti and bent down to grab the bag of dog food. Eggsy stuck a piece of bread into the toasted and dumped the can of spaghetti into a pot. While they were heating he poured food out for his pug, who immediately started gobbling it down. When his food was ready, Eggsy sat back down on the couch and ate what was on his plate. It was slow going between his sore throat and how tired he was feeling. When he was done, Eggsy paced his plate in the sink and made his way to his bedroom, careful not to trip on the pug weaving between his feet. He stripped off his shirt and pants and collapsed into his bed. It had taken the last of his energy to hang his trousers up how he was supposed to. He vaguely felt JB as the dog jumped onto his bed and settled by his feet, and then he fell into a dreamless sleep.

He woke late the next morning, the sunlight streaming though the curtains. The first thing he noticed was that his head felt fuzzy, like someone had stuffed it full of cotton wool. The next was that it was INCREDIBLY painful to swallow. His groan came out like a broken cough, and he reached for his phone.  
"Hi Merlin," Eggsy croaked, "I don't think I'll be coming into work today."  
"I should think not, ye sound terrible," the Scotsman replied, "I'll inform medical and Gaius will fill the forms to give you a few days leave."  
"thanks Merlin," he said before coughing.  
"Just call in again tomorrow morning," Merlin told him before hanging up.  
Eggsy tried to get back to sleep but his sore throat was making that difficult. After a half hour of tossing and turning he gave up and hauled himself out of bed. He was freezing and reached for the robe Harry had given him. It was a navy blue version of Harry's red one. While Eggsy wouldn't normally wear the robe, opting to pull on track pants and a hooded top instead, this was far less effort for his heavy arms and legs. Slowly he made his way to the kitchen and checked JB's food bowl. He took the dog's food from the pantry and his head spun as he stood back up. He gripped the door tightly until the world righted itself before dropping the bag and knocking it over with his foot. The dry biscuits spilt across the floor and the pug started eating. Eggsy pulled open the kitchen drawer and found the painkillers along with some sore throat lozenges. Filling a glass with water, he made his way back to his bed. Taking two painkillers he lay back down and hoped the pain in his head and throat would go away enough for him to get a bit more sleep. With the steady click of his wall clock, Eggsy slipped into a light sleep.

What seemed like no time at all later, but his wall clock showed to be a few hours, Eggsy woke to the sounds of someone moving about in his kitchen.  
'Great,' he thought, 'I'm sick and now someone breaks in to try and kill me.'  
He stood up and grabbed the gun in his bedside drawer. As the room titled and his head throbbed, he thought that maybe it would be better to let whoever it was kill him.  
He stepped cautiously in to the kitchen, where the sound was coming from, his gun raised. He opened his mouth to say something and promptly dissolved into a coughing fit. The well-dressed figure turned at the noise and the young man realised the intruder was his mentor and fellow knight, Harry Hart. Seeing that it was Harry, Eggsy lowered the gun in favour of doubling over and trying to catch his breath. Once he had enough breath to talk, he choked out a sentence.  
"Whaddaya doin' here 'Arry?" he asked, leaning against the kitchen counter.  
The elder knight quirked an eyebrow at him.  
"I did try to ring you, but you weren't answering. So I went to see Merlin and he informed me you were unwell."  
"That still don't explain why you're here in my kitchen," Eggsy told him.  
Harry nodded. "Yes, right. Well, I came to check in you, but you weren't answering your door. So I picked the lock and let myself in and began making you some tea."  
He gestured to the kettle and two cups beside it. Eggsy nodded in acceptance and turned to JB, who was staring hopefully up at Harry waiting for some scraps.  
"You're a hopeless guard dog," he told the pug.  
"It's just because you knew that it was me," Harry said to the dog, reaching down to pat him on the head.  
"Harry, I can take care of myself," the young man said, then sneezed.  
"I highly doubt that." He stared Eggsy down. "I saw the contents of your fridge and pantry." He looked unamused.  
Eggsy made a non-committal noise, knowing Harry was right.  
"Ya don't have to look after me," Eggsy told him.  
"Nonsense, you're barely able to stand upright. How do you expect to get better if you can't make yourself food?" The older knight had turned back to the boiling kettle as he spoke.  
As Eggsy watched, Harry poured out two cups and picked them up.  
"Go put your robe on and grab a blanket. I'll take these to the couch," Harry told him already walking to the sitting room.  
Eggsy made his way upstairs as fast as he could manage, grabbing his doona, throwing on his robe and returning his gun to its place in his drawer. Even without being able to see the shoulder holster he knew Harry was armed, and a far better shot than him at the moment. He returned downstairs and flopped onto the couch. For once, Harry didn't reprimand him for this action. Instead, he passed the younger man a cup of tea that smelt like peppermint.  
"Huh, didn't even know that I had peppermint in there," Eggsy mused, before hurriedly putting the cup down and sneezing.  
"I feel like shit," he muttered.  
Harry quirked his lips. "Far be it for me to say anything, but you rather look like shit as well," Harry told him drily.  
Eggsy snorted, "Fanks mate. You're lucky we're friends."  
They drank the rest of their tea in silence.  
"Will you be alright here for a bit?" Harry asks, standing up.  
"Yea, sure," Eggsy replied, already moving to lie down on the couch.  
"I'm just going down to the shops to get some groceries for you. Do you have any cold medication?" Harry asked.  
"No," Eggsy mumbled, "Gave it all to Dais when she was sick." Then Eggsy groaned. "Dammit, I musta caught this off her. She and half her class were off sick last week."  
He heard Harry's footsteps and opened his eyes to see the other knight place a box of tissues by the couch.  
"I'll be back soon, call me if you think of anything you need," Harry said before he locked the door behind him.  
Before Eggsy even realised, he was dozing on the couch.

When Eggsy woke next, it was to someone gently shaking his shoulder. He cracked his eyes open and saw Harry bending over him, sans suit jacket and a bowl sitting on the coffee table.  
"Sorry to wake you. I've brought you some soup," Harry said gently as Eggsy moved to sit upright.  
Harry handed the bowl and a spoon over and left to get his own from the kitchen. The young knight rested the bowl on his lap, cradled in one hand, and took a spoonful of the chicken soup. He let out a soft sigh as the warmth spread through him.  
"Dis is goob," Eggsy said to Harry though a mouthful of soup and his now very blocked nose.  
Harry hummed, "It's a chicken and ginger soup I found when I was in Thailand. I have found it's very helpful when one feels unwell."  
Eggsy looked over at the other man. "You made this?"  
"I thought I proved during our 24 hours that I was perfectly capable of cooking."  
"Yea, but this is amazing," Eggsy said, "what of it I can taste anyway. You make this when you're sick?"  
"Yes, and when I'm not," Harry told him.  
"Yea, it's nice," Eggsy agreed.  
"You tell that to Merlin. He acts like I'm poisoning him with this. The bugger will eat haggis, but not the soup," Harry sounded insulted.  
Eggsy snorted, which caused him to start sneezing again. He put the now empty bowl down and reached for the tissues.  
After the sneezing stopped, he stood up.  
"Fanks for the soup 'Arry," Eggsy told him. "I'm going back to bed. I'll see you later."  
Harry looked up at him, "if it's all the same to you, I'll stay here. I can do my paperwork from my tablet," He said calmly.  
"If ya sure, I ain't gonna be good company," Eggsy was dubious.  
"I'm sure. This way I can make sure you keep your fluids up and JB doesn't have to wait for you if he needs to go out." Harry was already reaching for his tablet and JB, the little traitor, was making himself comfortable on Harry's feet.  
Eggsy nodded and then made his way back to bed.  
During the afternoon, Eggsy was gently woken a couple of times to Harry who was giving him a cup of tea and some cold medication. Around 5pm Harry went home, telling Eggsy there was soup and bread he could have for dinner and that he'd likely be back tomorrow.

The next morning Eggsy wasn't feeling any better when he rang into the Kingsman. Merlin sent his call through to the head of medical, Gaius, who listened to Eggsy, asked a few questions and then told him to take a week off.  
"You have enough sick leave that it won't matter and we prefer sending agents out who are 100% well," he told Eggsy.  
The young man managed to get out of bed long enough to feed his pug and take a quick shower, before he fell back into bed exhausted. True to his word Harry was back just before lunch, ringing Eggsy who answered, before entering the house this time.  
That afternoon, was spent the same way as the previous one, with Eggsy resting and Harry occupying himself with paperwork or a book. The next few days were much the same, with Eggsy slowly spending more time on the couch than in bed, but still not feeling well enough to do much except watch the TV.  
On the fourth day Harry brought a hard drive filled with a variety of movies, and they spent the next two days working their way through them, occasionally bickering over Harry's movie tastes. On the last two days of Eggsy's leave, Harry only came by in the evening to check on the mostly well young man.  
"Haven't you had other, Kingsman related things to do this past week?" Eggsy asked the older man on the last night. "I mean, not that I don't love having you here, but it's basically babysitting."  
Harry handed him a cup that smelt of lavender, mint and lemon balm. It must have been one of Harry's teas because Eggsy had nothing fitting that description on his own cupboard.  
"There have been mostly local missions these past few weeks," Harry told him, "And Merlin had got fed up with my late paperwork, threatened to take away my rainmaker. This has given me a chance to relax and complete it."  
They finished their tea with JB chewing on his new toy (courtesy of Harry) under the table.  
"I'll see you at work tomorrow Eggsy," Harry said as he got ready to leave later that evening.  
"Yea, see you there Harry. It'll be good to be back," Eggsy replied. "Thanks for coming over and cooking and stuff while I was sick."  
Harry turned and looked at him.  
"You're welcome Eggsy," Harry said gently. "After all, that's what you do for the people you care about."  
Eggsy smiled at him and nodded.  
"We look after our own," he said, "Good night Harry. Have a safe trip home."


	2. Roxy

It was a nice day outside, the sun was shining through the autumn leaves and there was a gentle breeze. Roxy was in a good mood despite only having paperwork to do today. Her best friend, the now Gawain, was back from his mission and she was looking forward to getting all the fun details of his mission over lunch, and possibly some sparring in the gym. She might even get to go home a bit earlier tonight if she can finish that report. When she got to her office she had to smile, there was no extra paperwork for her to do. So with a small smile she opened her office window and booted up her computer.  
At about midmorning Eggsy strode into her office.  
"Roxelot," he called, "I'm back. Did ya miss me?"  
She looked up from where she was typing the last paragraph of her report.  
"You, yes. Your habit of not knocking, no."  
They both smiled. It had become a sort of joke around Kingsman that Eggsy was incapable of knocking before entering a room.  
"So do ya want to spar or eat?" The young man asked.  
Roxy laughed. "You only have two settings, don't you? Either moving or eating. Though, considering how fast you eat…" she smiled teasingly. They were both well aware that his habit of shovelling food into his mouth came from how he grew up not knowing when the next meal would be.  
"Yea yea, joke all you want but do you see any fat on this body?" he asked, sweeping his hands up and down gesturing to himself.  
"Oh, there might be a little bit there," she laughed, poking Eggsy in the stomach. He batted her hand away with a laugh.  
"Looks like we're heading to the gym then," he said.  
Roxy saved what she was working on and they both made their way to the gym.

There was no set style to their sparring. While some knights preferred to practise one style then another, both Roxy and Eggsy had agreed on a mix with the only rule being to not seriously injure the other. It was the best work out Roxy got because Eggsy used everything he knew, from martial arts that the Kingsman had taught him to his street fighting and even flips and tricks from gymnastics. Halfway through the sparring Roxy felt herself growing more tired, it wasn't usual for her to start flagging quite yet. Lost in her own her thoughts she missed the trajectory of Eggsy's fist and it landed on her arm.  
A while later she started feeling light headed. She took a couple of deep breaths, trying to clear her head. She was unfocused and she knew it. Before she realised what was happening she was on her back, staring at the ceiling with Eggsy pinning her down. She actually felt dizzy, even though she knew she hadn't hit her head.  
"You alright?" Eggsy asked, standing up and offering her a hand.  
She sat up gingerly, the room still slightly off.  
"Yea, I'll be fine," she told him, taking the offered hand.  
"Not like you to be taken down so easily," he said with a frown.  
"Just feeling hungry," she mumbled as they headed to the change rooms.  
She quickly showered and then the two young knights made their way to the dining hall for lunch.

Eggsy was chatting about his mission, telling her about the chase through the streets of Rome and how cool the little FIATs are because they just raced through the gaps. Roxy was listening but some of her attention was wandering. As much as she had said to Eggsy that she was hungry, she found herself struggling to finish the slice of quiche and just pushed the salad around her plate.  
"Are you sure you're alright Rox?" Eggsy's voice broke through her train of thought.  
"Hmmm? Oh yea, just not as hungry as I thought," she replied.  
"Ya look a little pale. Sure you're not getting a cold or something?" Eggsy asked.  
She didn't feel flushed, not even light headed anymore. "Nah but if you're so worried I'll go take a nap in my office," she smiled.  
Eggsy nodded and looked at his watch.  
"I'd better go soon anyway. Picking Daisy up from school for mum," he told her. "I'll see you tomorrow Roxelot." With a grin he collected his plate and walked off.  
Roxy followed suit and made her way back to her office. She opened the document she had been working on, but suddenly it felt like someone had stabbed her in the stomach. As abruptly as the pain started, it went away. A few minutes later it happened again, the pain staying a bit longer this time. Then, again another couple of minutes later it felt like there was a stabbing cramp in her stomach. Roxy groaned and switched on the kettle she kept in her office. She figured a cup of peppermint and liquorice tea might help her unhappy stomach. She patiently waited for the water to boil, leaning on her desk to try and ease some of the pain. Once boiled, she poured herself a cup of hot water and topped it off with cold water so that it was a drinkable temperature. She took a careful sip, as the warmth went through her she took another.  
She sat back down at her desk, the pain a little less now and continued to type her report. Suddenly her stomach was rolling and she felt like she was going to be sick. Hurriedly she looked around her and found her rubbish bin, with the bin liner in it. Mercifully it was empty and she was able to place it on her lap before her stomach rolled again and this time her lunch didn't stay down. After dry heaving a couple of times Roxy was able to breathe slowly and get her stomach to settle a bit. She took a mouthful of her tea, spitting it into the bin to wash her mouth out. With a grimace she removed the bin liner and stood up on shaky legs. Slowly she walked to her door and then made her way outside to the bins. The smell of the bin made her stomach roll again and she hurriedly made her way back to her office. She still had pain in her stomach and now she felt drowsy as well. Roxy finished her now cold cup of tea, hoping it would stay down at least long enough to hydrate her a little and put a new liner in her bin. She knew that going home would be a better idea, but she was so tired and she wasn't actually 100% sure she'd be able to make it home without throwing up again.  
The medical wing was another option, but smell of the disinfectant made her feel yuck on a good day, so she wasn't really keen to go down there either. Instead she lay down on the couch in her office, placing the bin at one end and closing her eyes. Roxy decided she would take a short nap and then head home. That paperwork could wait another day or two, Merlin knew she didn't normally hand things up late.

Roxy dozed for a bit before suddenly feeling ill again. The small amount of tea she had consumed came back up, followed by more dry heaving. Too tired to do much else, she lay back and stared at the ceiling. That lasted all of about a minute before her mouth tasted bitter and she was dry heaving again. Roxy groaned in frustration. She briefly considered going down to medical or even calling them on her glasses. The she realised her glasses were on her desk and that would require getting up. She dozed off before she got enough energy to get up and find her glasses.  
The young knight woke up again a few times, dry heaving or actually throwing up any of the water or dry biscuits Roxy managed to find in her desk. She felt absolutely wrecked and like her head was full of cotton wool. She knew she should go to medical, she's so dehydrated already and probably needs a drip, but before she can call them she falls into an exhausted slumber.  
She woke up again with a small crick in her neck and the sky dark outside. Her last memory of the time was at about 5pm, and her watch was now reading about 7pm which meant Roxy had been asleep for nearly 2 hours. She cautiously sat up, feeling a little bit better, but as she stood the room tilted a bit and she reached for the bin, emptying bile from her stomach. Her sides and abs ached and her throat burned, but there was nothing she could do to stop the retching. Roxy was gasping, trying to get her breathing back under control when she heard a knock on her door and someone call out 'Lancelot". With that brogue, especially at this time of the evening, there was only one person that it could be.  
"Are ye alright lass?" Merlin asked.  
Roxy was about to answer that she was okay, no matter how much of a lie that was, when she doubled over with another wave of nausea. She heard the door handle twist and knew Merlin had come in to check on her. Sitting on her couch, suit crinkled and hair dishevelled, with her head in her bin, Roxy knew she wasn't looking her best. When the nausea passed she looked at Merlin.  
"How long have ye been feeling ill?" He asked, his brow crinkled.  
"This afternoon," Roxy replied.  
"Have ye been able to keep anything down?" he asked her.  
She shook her head miserably. She felt terrible and there was a small fear that Merlin was going to reprimand her. Her eyes were closing, all she wanted to do was lie down.  
Merlin looked at her silently or a few moments, then she could see he had made a decision.  
"Will ye be alright fo' a bit if I go deal with this?" Merlin asked, gently taking the bin from her hands.  
"You don't have to do that," Roxy protested.  
The Scotsman looked at her and she quieted.  
"That wasn't what I asked ye," he told her.  
"Yes, I'll be okay for a bit," she replied softly.  
At that Merlin stood up and took the bin, knotting the liner as he walked to the door.  
"I'll be back in a moment, then we can both head home," he said to her.  
True to his word, Merlin returned a few minutes later with his jacket on over his sweater and a briefcase in one hand. Roxy stood tiredly on weak legs and made her way to Merlin. Together they made their way to the cabs, the younger knight leaning on her handler every so often. Luckily she hadn't felt too sick yet, able to breathe through the waves of nausea.  
Merlin carefully helped her into the back of the cab and handed her a plastic bag.  
"Just in case," he told her before turning to the driver.  
Roxy assumed he was telling them to take the two of them to their homes.

She zoned out during the car trip, knowing she was safe and concentrated on not being sick instead.  
Merlin touched her gently on the arm. "We're here lass."  
She looked out the window, unfamiliar with where she was.  
"This isn't my apartment," she said in confusion.  
Merlin smiled, a small uptick at the corners of his mouth.  
"Nae, it's my house," he informed her. "Yer not gonnae be able to look after yerself on yer own. I can already tell yer dehydrated. An' I'm not leavin' ye in the medical wing, that's depressin' down there," he explained before Roxy was able to resist. .  
He unfolded himself from the cab and opened her door. Logically she knew this was a good option, but her tired brain wasn't keen on cooperating. Slowly she got her heavy limbs to move and all but tumbled out of the cab.  
As she righted herself, Merlin closed the doors and the cab moved off.  
The house in front of her was a dark grey stone, square with two storeys and there was grass and a path leading to the front door. It was well kept, which surprise Roxy given how Merlin always seemed to be working. He opened the front door and they made their way to the sitting room where Roxy sat gingerly in one of the couches.  
"Just let me put my stuff away an' I'll show ye around," Merlin called as he walked into another room.  
A few minutes later he returned without his briefcase or coat. Roxy got to her feet and followed Merlin thought the house.  
"In through there is th'kitchen," he pointed through a doorway. "And down this way is my home office. Th' bedrooms are upstairs."  
They proceeded up the wooden staircase where the landing branched off to the rooms on both sides. On the leftRoxy saw a door which was barely open and further down the hallway there was another door. On her right there was an open door and she glimpsed a bed as she looked through the doorway. They walked further down the landing and Merlin opened to door on her right to a small bathroom.  
"Toilet's th' door behind ye," he gestured to the door she had previously seen.  
"This is th' bathroom. I've got gas so ye shan't run outta hot water," she smiled at her.  
There was a small bath and a separate shower on one side of the room, with a hand basin on the other wall. They exited the bathroom and Merlin opened the door fully to the room she had glimpsed earlier.  
"This is th' guest room. Don't mind th' dust, I don't have much use for it usually"  
In the centre of the small room was a double bed with a simple white iron frame. Wooden night stands stood on either side of the bed and bedside lights were attached to the wall. There was a cupboard on the right side of the bed and a window on the other, overlooking the garden. At the foot of the bed was a carved wooden chest, a deep mahogany colour that looked like it belonged in an old ship.  
Roxy sank gratefully into the bed, which was as soft and comfortable as it looked.  
"Thank you Merlin," she murmured as she lay herself down on it.  
"It's no problem Roxy," he replied. "My room is across th' hallway, or I'll be in my office if ye need me."  
She nodded just as Merlin looked at his watch.  
"Ye haven't eaten since lunch and ye probably haven't kept anythin' down since breakfast."  
Roxy thought guiltily of the muffin and cup of coffee she had consumed before leaving her apartment that morning.  
"Sorry Merlin, but I don't think I'll be able to keep a meal down," she told him.  
"Lass, I have some of my seanmhair's chicken noodle soup in th' freezer. She used ta feed it ta all o' us when we were ill," Merlin told her.  
The young knight looked doubtful.  
"Yer dehydrated. Give it a try and if it comes back up then nothin' lost," he sighed. His voice was gentle but it wasn't so much as a suggestion as it was an order.  
"With some toast?" Roxy asked, sitting herself back up.  
The Scotsman sighed but smiled.  
"Aye, if ye want."  
He turned to leave and Roxy pushed herself to her feet to follow.  
"Stay there, ye look beat. I'll bring it up ta ye," he ordered. Instinct made her sink back into the bed, as much as her sense of politeness had her wanting to help him. The tone was not one to be argued with.  
About 10 minutes later Merlin came up carrying a bowl and a plate of food. He handed the bowl to Roxy and sat in the wooden chest with his own plate. Roxy took a cautious sip of soup, letting the salty taste fill her mouth and the warmth washed through her. When it was evident that the mouthful wasn't coming straight up, she took some more soup. She was only about a third of the way through the bowl by the time Merlin had finished his food. Roxy lifted the spoon to her mouth when she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She hurriedly put the spoon down and set the bowl on the bedside table. The young knight felt the bitter taste in her mouth and quickly walked to the toilet.  
Most of the soup she had eaten came back up, burning her throat. She rested her head against the tiled wall and groaned.  
"I don't think that was a good idea Merlin," she said to the man who was leaning awkwardly against the door frame.  
"Nae, perhaps not," he conceded. "There's a spare toothbrush under th' sink. I'll be back in a moment."  
Roxy flushed the toilet and found the spare toothbrush. After brushing her teeth and washing her face she felt a bit better. She was still foggy headed and nauseous, but less sweaty at least. She sat on the bed and removed her shoes before realising that she didn't have anything to sleep in. She shrugged, it wouldn't be the first time she had to sleep in her underwear. Before she could start undressing there was a knock at the door.  
"Come in," she said tiredly, knowing it was Merlin.  
He pushed the door open and took a step in before holding his hands out to her. In one hand was some grey material and the other was holding a bright blue drink.  
"A shirt fo' ye to sleep in and a sports drink. Ye might have mair luck keeping it done," he informed her, handing both over.  
Roxy thanked him and the Scotsman turned to go.  
"I'll see ye in the mornin'. I'll be working in ma office for a while yet tonight if ye need anythin'."  
"Don't you have to go into headquarters?" she asked.  
"Nae, I can do plenty from here and I have enough leave days saved that Arthur will probably be glad I'm taking one." He shook his head and smiled. Merlin closed the door softly behind him as he walked out.  
Roxy placed the bottle on her bedside table and changed into the shirt. It was soft and worn, obviously something Merlin had worn quite often. Perhaps as a sleep shirt of his own. It hung long, about mid-thigh on Roxy but it was perfect for sleeping in. She got comfortable under the covers and noticed that Merlin had placed a bin next to the bed. He really did think of everything. Roxy didn't know much more after laying her head on the pillow, falling into an exhausted sleep.

Roxy's dreaming, she knows it. She's in the back of a cab, heading God knows where, when she suddenly felt motion sick. She hadn't felt motion sickness since she was little girl and took the ferry across the channel with her parents. The car stopped and she got out, shutting the door behind her. The loud bang in her dreams startled her awake and Roxy realised she was still feeling unwell. Slowly she sat up, but she felt sick. This time when she threw up, it was stomach acid and bile, nothing else left in her stomach. She did feel better at least. There was no light under Merlin's door, so he was either still in his office or was sleeping. There was no way of guessing which with him.  
Roxy crawled back under the covers and flicked through her phone, taking small sips of the sports drink. That was staying down at least, and after about 20 minutes Roxy decided to lie back down. When that didn't make her feel sick, she closed her eyes and before she realised it she was asleep again. She was still sleeping an hour later when Merlin gently pushed the door open to check on her before he himself went to sleep.

It was much later in the morning than when Roxy usually woke up. The sun shining pleasantly though the window. Roxy stretched and got out of bed, checking her reflection. She looked pale and there were dark circles under her eyes, but she felt better than she did last night. It was then that Roxy realised that she didn't have any clothes except the suit. She was wearing yesterday. She cursed her tiredness, if she 'd been a bit more awake she would have thought to grab the change of clothes she kept in her gym locker. Though she was going back to her own apartment, not Merlin's own house. She opened the door wanting to at least wash her face, if not find a spare towel for a shower, and nearly tripped over a bundle of that was outside her door. Bending down, she picked it all up finding her own change of clothes from the Kingsman gym, a new pair of slippers and a towel.  
'Bless Merlin,' she thought with a small smile.

She made her way downstairs to the kitchen, following the smell of coffee.  
"Good morning," she said as walked into the room. "Thank you for getting these for me."  
Merlin looked up from where he was sitting at the small kitchen table. By his right was his tablet and in his left hand a mug, with an empty plate sitting in front of him pushed away from him.  
"Good morning. How are ye feeling?" he inquired.  
"Better," Roxy responded, "But probably not up to eating real food. I don't even feel hungry."  
The Scotsman hummed and got up.  
"Regardless, you should try ta eat something. Did ye keep the drink down last night?" he asked.  
"Yea," Roxy confirmed as Merlin rinsed off his plate. He reached for a cup and walked to the kettle.  
"I got some bananas when I went out this mornin'. Gaius said that shouldn't make ye feel worse," he told her as he set about making a cup of tea. When it was ready he passed the cup of peppermint tea and a banana to the young knight, before sitting back down to his coffee.  
While eating the banana, Roxy watched Merlin and then looked down at the tablet that was holding his attention. There was a random section of letters and spaces for various length words. Roxy looks at the letters upside down while slowly chewing on a bite of banana. She didn't feel like she was going to throw up, but she didn't feel perfectly okay either. The banana, sweet but bland, was sitting in her stomach alright but just the thought of anything more flavoured was making her feel ill again.  
"Align," she said into the quiet.  
"Sorry?" Merlin looks at her with an eyebrow raised.  
"The last word," she says, "It's align."  
Merlin looked at her,, then back down at the letters on his tablet.  
"So it is," he commented, typing the word in.  
He pushed the tablet aside and looked at Roxy.  
"Yer more than welcome ta go home if ye wish," he said, "ye equally welcome ta stay."  
Roxy though about it. She didn't feel better and she could probably take care of herself without risking dehydration or accidentally burning the house down now, however she didn't really feel like sitting in her apartment alone right now.  
"If you're staying home then I wouldn't mind spending the day here," she eventually said.  
Merlin nodded and then spoke.  
"I have another tablet ye can borrow, it's linked into the Kingsman network should ye wish ta finish yer report. It's not due yet so don't feel any pressure and no one is as late as Eggsy when handing reports in. Otherwise I have books that ye could read."  
Roxy nodded in thought. "I'll finish my report first, I think I've only got half a dozen sentences left. Do you have any Agatha Christie novels?"  
"Aye, I didn't take you for a mystery reader."  
Roxy shrugged, "My mum loves them."  
Merlin left the room and returned a few moments later with another tablet and a book.  
Roxy took them and her half-finished bottle of sports drinks and went outside.  
She was doing better today, the cup of tea didn't stay down but the banana did and she was able to finish her report and sent it thought to Merlin.

It was just past midday and Roxy was half dozing in the autumn sun. She sat in one of the garden chairs, the novel open on her lap.  
"Roxy lass," Merlin brogue drifted to her.  
She cracked her eyes open, blinking against the sunlight. "Yea Merlin," she responded.  
"If ye feelin' up to it, I made some soup fo' lunch," he told her from the back door. Roxy stretched and stood up. She supposed it was a good thing that she was feeling a little bit hungry.  
"I'll have some soup," she said as she made her way back inside.  
"The banana stayed down after all, and so has this since," she held the now empty bottle of sports drink up.  
Merlin dished out two bowls of soup, which looked and smelled like a fresh batch of the soup he had served her the night before. Alongside her bowl was a plate with a piece of lightly buttered toast. The young knight smiled, it was a simple thing but he had remembered she liked toast with her soup. They ate in relative silence, just enjoying the food and company.  
Roxy took their dishes and washed up as Merlin poured the rest of the soup out of the pot and into containers for the freezer.  
"Merlin," Roxy began.  
He stopped what he was doing and turned to her.  
"Would I be able to get a Kingsman cab to pick me up from here, or do I need to go to headquarters?"  
Merlin shook his head and finished what he was doing.  
"No need, I'll be mair than happy ta drive ye home maself. We'll stop on the way ta make sure ye have food ye can eat in yer fridge," he told her.  
"If you're sure Merlin," she said hesitantly.  
"Yes, I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't. An' while I'm glad ye feelin' better, I don't trust ye ta have food yer stomach'll be happy with," the Scot said firmly.  
Roxy looked insulted for a moment but then smiled.  
"You're probably not wrong," she conceded.  
Merlin mumbled something which sounded like 'o' course I'm not. Bloody knights.'  
He returned his office and Roxy went back outside to finish the novel in the sun.

Just before 5, Roxy went back inside Merlin's house, the book finished and the breeze becoming too cold for her to enjoy sitting out there. She'd felt alright this afternoon, her stomach bubbling and gurgling but no nausea and definitely no vomiting. Roxy counted that as a win and Figured she might even be able go into headquarters tomorrow. At about half past 5 Merlin walked into the lounge room with a set of keys.  
"If yer ready to go?" he said.  
Roxy had already collected her suit and remade the guest bed upstairs.  
"Lead the way," she told him.  
They made their way to a small shed on the side of the house, where Merlin stored his car.  
They travelled to Roxy's apartment, chatting while Merlin drove.  
Before reaching her apartment Merlin pulled up outside a Tesco. They made their way inside and picked up some fruit, sports drinks and bland foods for Roxy to eat over the next few days. Merlin made sure that the food was not only easy for the young knight to make, but also had nutritional value and was on the list of stomach friendly foods Gaius had sent him.  
After collecting sufficient supplies, they made it to Roxy's apartment.  
"Would you like to come in for a cup of tea Merlin?" Roxy asked. "It's the least I can offer after you looked after me." She smiled at him hopefully.  
"Sure lass," he responded as she got her door unlocked.

As the Scotsman was leaving Roxy thanked him again.  
"It was nice to not have to be by myself. Thank you for taking care of me. You really didn't have to."  
He turned to face her, a wry smile on his lips.  
"I really did," he said seriously before letting himself out.


	3. Merlin

It was early winter and the Kingsman grounds were wet and soggy. The rain had stopped outside but a cool breeze was blowing into Merlin's office through the slightly opened window. The weather outside was a stark contrast to the events that the Scot was monitoring. On his screen was a feed from Tristan's surveillance mission in Cyprus, where the sun was still shining despite the fact it was winter. Normally Merlin didn't mind the cold, having grown up in Scotland, but today's bleak weather was irritating him. The sunny ocean boulevard on his screen blurred a little as his eyes unfocused, and he blinked before reaching for his glass of water. He'd swapped from coffee to tea at lunchtime and then from tea to water mid-afternoon when he felt a headache starting. With a grimace he put the cold drink back down and then shut the open window before sitting back in front of his computer.

Merlin was reading through a knight's report when his eyes began to hurt. A dull pain behind them that didn't go away when he closed them.  
"Great," he muttered to the empty office. "Now I'll have to go to th' optometrist again."  
Unlike most of the Kingsman personnel, Merlin's glasses weren't purely for surveillance and communication. Opening his eyes, he looked at the time. 8pm, not late by his standards but late enough. He shut down his screens and wrapped himself in his jacket before going in search of a can to take him home.  
The night air was cold, causing the Scotsman to start sneezing. As he climbed into the cab he realised he must be more tired than he thought because his limbs felt heavy and his eyes still ached.  
When the cab pulled up outside his house, Merlin fumbled for the house keys in his pocket and quickly walked up the path. He sneezed at the cold air, somehow managing to drop his keys in the process. As he bent down to retrieve them it felt like something heavy was being placed on his head. Merlin carefully straightened the heavy feeling going away as he righted. He decided right then that he would reheat the left over curry and then light the fire in his room and go straight to bed.

He woke the next morning feeling pleasantly warm from the fire which had burned during the night. The pain behind his eyes had gone, but Merlin was finding it difficult to get the enthusiasm to get out of the bed this morning. He just felt so tired.  
He eventually got out of the bed and into a hot shower, the warm water waking him up a bit. He noticed his throat felt scratchy. The feeling went away as he sipped his hot coffee, so Merlin assumed it was a dry throat from the cold air. He might have been sleeping with is mouth open again (he didn't snore no matter what Harry claimed.)

He met the cab out the front of the house, climbing into the warmth.  
"Morning," he greeted the driver. Merlin's voice sounded croaky.  
"Good morning sir."  
Wisely the driver didn't mention anything about his voice.  
They drove in silence to Kingsman headquarters, Merlin working from his laptop.  
By the time Merlin made it to his office, he was feeling tired again. His head felt like it was full of wool. He boiled the kettle in his office, hoping another cup of coffee might give him the caffeine kick he needed. While the kettle was boiling he opened up his computers, bringing up the feeds of the current missions and a couple of documents that he needed to revise. With his coffee brewed he sat down and started work.

Eggsy knocked on Merlin's door, actually doing the right thing and waiting for the Scotsman to call him in. After a few moments there was no response so Eggsy knocked again, louder this time. The door creaked open just as Merlin mumbled something Eggsy thought was 'what do ya want?'  
The knight entered the room to find Merlin lifting his head off of his desk and glaring at him. There were dark circles under the wizard's eyes, made all the more evident by his glasses. The cup of coffee by his elbow had gone cold and his computer screen had gone to sleep, evidence that Merlin had been lying there longer than he had thought.  
"What is it ye want, Gawain?" Merlin croaked then winced.  
"I just came to hand you some paperwork," the young man said.  
Merlin turned the chair to fully face him.  
"Ya look like shit, guv," Eggsy blurted out.  
"Yes, thank ye fo' that lad," Merlin ground out, as he rubbed a hand over his face.  
Eggsy moved behind the Scot, looking at his screen.  
"Merlin, fearsome as you are, I think you might wanna head home," he said with a tinge of worry.  
"I'll be fine. I've worked through a cold before." Just then he violently sneezed. With a shiver, he pulled his jacket closer around him.  
"Merlin, I just read the last paragraph on your computer. It makes no sense."  
The Scot reread the document, a frown forming on his face.  
"That's nae what I wrote," he mumbled. He turned to the knight who was frowning at him.  
"Okay, are you sure you'll be alright?" he asked.  
"I may go home this afternoon," Merlin conceded.  
Eggsy nodded, satisfied, then handed Merlin the paperwork and left.  
Merlin glanced at it, and then put it aside for another time. He should really correct that paragraph first, it didn't make any sense.

It was only an hour later according to Merlin's watch (he himself had lost all concept of time) when Harry Hart came barging thought his door. Merlin looked up at the interruption, trying to scowl at his friend. Harry took one look at the Scot and pursed his lips.  
"Eggsy was right, you really are looking terrible," he said.  
"Thank you, an' if that's all ye have ta say then ye can walk back out," Merlin told him.  
"No, I've come to make sure you eat something and then to tell you to go home."  
This time Merlin did glare at him.  
"Ye cannae make me go home, ye leave fo' a mission in an hour," he told him defiantly.  
"Ah good, at least you remember that."  
That earnt him a pen thrown carelessly towards his head, which Harry easily caught.  
"We can go get lunch, or I can bring you something to eat. And I _could_ inform Gaius who will make sure you go home."  
"Ye wouldn't. Oh, who am I kiddin', ye probably would." Merlin stood in defeat. His head ached and he shoulders hurt. "Let's go get some scran from the dining hall then. I'll nae have ye feedin' me yer rotten soup."  
"I'll have you know Eggsy loved it when he was sick," Harry said proudly.  
"Weird, the lotta ye knights. That boy is far too much like ye Hart," Merlin told him as they made their way out of his office.

Once they'd finished lunch, Harry headed off to the hangar while Merlin walked back to his office. He really did want to take a nap as his sore neck had progressed to being sore all over, and his throat was sore now as well. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he was probably better off going home.  
As Harry was heading off he passed Roxy and Eggsy in the corridor.  
"Lancelot, Gawain, could I talk to you for a moment?"  
The two younger knights stopped in their tracks and turned back to Harry.  
"Are you both going to be around for the next few days?" He asked.  
Roxy nodded but Eggsy shook his head.  
"Sorry, but I've got a few days off and I promised to take mum and Daisy on a trip."  
"That's alright Eggsy. Roxy, you said you'll be here?"  
"Yes," the young woman confirmed. "I was just going to spend a few days working on paperwork."  
"Good. Keep an eye on Merlin then. He's a stubborn bastard, especially when he's sick."  
Eggsy laughed and Roxy smiled.  
"Is this an order, Galahad?" she asked.  
"More like a request from a friend," he said kindly.  
"I'll keep an eye out for our wizard. It's only fair considering he looked after me when I was unwell."  
Harry thanked her, clapping her on the shoulder before taking his leave.  
"He really did look bad earlier," Eggsy told her. "I wouldn't be surprised if he caught what Percival had earlier this month."  
"Didn't he have the 'flu?" Roxy asked in surprise.  
"Yea, reckon he did," Eggsy replied.  
Roxy shook her head in exasperation. Merlin was as stubborn as the knights when it came to injury and illness.  
"Good luck wiv that one," Eggsy told her. "I should go get Daisy from school soon."  
With that the two parted ways.  
Roxy thought about what to do next. Should she leave Merlin for a bit, or go check in on him?

In the end she decided that it was probably a good idea to at least have a look in on Merlin. Harry did ask her nicely after all.  
As she approached his office, she heard coughing and then a sneeze. Roxy quickened her pace and didn't even bother knocking on the half open door.  
Merlin was huddled in his chair, a hot cup sitting on his desk and his head in his hands.  
"Merlin," the young knight called.  
"Aye, lass?" He answered. When he looked at her, she understood what Eggsy was saying. The dark circles under his eye were prominent against his pasty skin. There was a flush on his cheeks and when he looked at her, his eyes seemed unfocused.  
"Right, that's it." She strode over to him. "You're getting up, getting in a cab and going home. I'll ring and organise leave with Gaius on the way."  
"'M not that bad," he said thickly.  
"Okay, humour me. Stand up," she ordered.  
"He did, swaying a little and reaching for his desk for support.  
"How do you feel?" she asked.  
Merlin sighed and replied. "Ma head is spinning and ma joints ache." He took a breath, "Maybe I do need to go home."  
"I should think so, you look as bad as Percival did."  
Merlin inly nodded and they slowly went to the Kingsman cabs.  
"Ya nae have ta come with me. I can look afta maself," he said grumpily.  
"What, and let you just do the same work from home? Oh no, I'm coming to make sure you rest. Harry's orders."  
They weren't quite but she thought he might at least respect his friendship.  
"Prat," he mumbled but nodded.  
They both sat in the back of the cab, Merlin's eyes closed. Roxy went to give the address to the driver when she realised that although she knew the way to Merlin's house, she wasn't actually sure of the address. Instead she just told him 'Merlin's house'. The driver turned to look at the Scot, who opened his eyes enough to look the driver and nodded, before closing them again and leaning his head against the headrest. The driver turned back and started the engine.

Merlin was in a light sleep by the time the cab pulled up at his front gate. Gently, Roxy shook his shoulder and spoke to him.  
"You're home, Merlin."  
Groggily, the Scotsman opened his eyes and lifted his heavy head to look out the window. It was only mid-afternoon but it felt like he's been awake for days on end.  
After Merlin had opened the door, he sat in the couch while Roxy went into the kitchen for some water. She could see he was slowly getting dehydrated and figured it would be better to fix that now before it added another type of headache to the mix. Plus, if she could find some cold and 'flu tablets then he would need something to swallow them down with. After opening half the drawers in the room, she found a packet in the back of a drawer. A quick check of the use by date showed that they were still okay, so she took the packet and a glass into the sitting room. There she found Merlin, his long frame somehow curled onto the couch, cushion under his head. The knight felt a little bit bad about waking him now that he was at least getting some rest. Instead she placed the medication and water in the coffee table and went upstairs.  
Tentatively she pushed open Merlin's bedroom door. It was an invasion of privacy, she knew that, but she'd seen two chimneys on the house and figured the second was in his own room. The room wasn't what she had imagined. It was fairly large, with a cupboard on the same wall as the door and a fireplace directly opposite the bed. At the other end of the room was a large window, letting in light. The white walls and pale furnishings made the room appear bright. Stepping over to the fire place, she found wood piled on the other side to with a match box in from of the pile. Carefully arranging the logs in the open fireplace, Roxy lit a match and held it to the kindling until it took then quickly dropped the match into the flames. With the fire going now, she walked back down to where Merlin was stills crunched up in the couch.  
"Get up, Merlin," she said shaking him.  
He opened one eye and looked at her, glasses crooked on his face.  
"What now?"  
"Didn't think you'd be too comfortable sleeping on the couch. Also, I've got some water and 'flu tablets for you." She gestured to the table.  
The tall Scotsman slowly unfolded himself, hand on his aching head. He took the tablet and finished the water then turned to look at her.  
"What?" she asked.  
"Ye can go home if ye want," he grumbled.  
"Yea, no. Promised Harry, remember?" And I just found you asleep on a couch 2/3 your own height. Go up to bed, it should be warm in there now."  
He stood up and raised an eyebrow at her.  
"I lit a fire."  
Merlin opened his mouth to speak but Roxy cut him off.  
"Invasion of privacy, I know. You can yell at me later. Just go lie down before you fall down," she sighed.  
"Thank ye," Merlin said, but Roxy was already out of earshot.  
He trudged up the stairs and to his bedroom. Somehow, he found the energy to change out of the clothes he was wearing and into the tartan pants and plain T-shirt he wore for bed.  
By the time Roxy came up to check on him, Merlin was asleep.  
The young knight went to back down stairs, opening up a blood on her tablet. She went a text to Harry that said 'he's fine. Travel safe.' She figured it was ambiguous enough that it would work with any cover he was using and would still give him an update on Merlin. She'd go and check on the man again in about 15 minutes.

This time when Roxy went up to check in the sick man, he was tossing and turning with his sheets thrown off by his feet.  
"Merlin!" Roxy exclaimed. "What are you doing? It's not that hot in here."  
Even with the fire going it hadn't warmed up too much, he shouldn't have been this hot in just his pyjamas.  
"Too warm," he said, staring at the ceiling.  
She walked over and touched his arm then felt his forehead. His arms were damp and cold but his forehead was burning.  
"You're fevering, but that doesn't mean you can throw off all your sheets."  
She pulled them back over him. By the time she had reached the door, Merlin had thrown them back off with a huff.  
"It's too hot, lass," he complained. "I can't just lie here burning up."  
"I know you're feeling like that now, but you'll just fall asleep and get cold. And that will just make it worse." She tried to remain calm.  
"Ye pill those sheets up and I'll just throw them back off," Merlin warned.  
"I'm only trying to help you, you stubborn Scot."  
"Make me," he dared.  
Taking a deep breath, she walked back over to him.  
"Was that a challenge Merlin?"  
"Well, I'm nae gonnae let these sheets roast me ta death."  
Roxy made up her mind, but let him have one last chance. She pulled the covers up and then went downstairs to get her tablet. When she got back up to Merlin's room, he had thrown the sheets back off.  
"Man child," she muttered as she stalked over to the bed.  
Merlin watched her as she put her tablet down, fixed the sheets, then picked up her tablet and walked to the empty side of his bed. Toeing off her shoes, she then sat down on the bed and stretched out near him, back resting on the bedhead and opened up her tablet.  
"Try throwing them off now," she stated, eyes on her screen.  
Merlin huffed and rolled to face away from her. She could hear him grumbling under his breath, but she kept her focus on the tablet in her hands. After a few minutes his breath evened out and he'd fallen asleep.

Roxy for up about an hour later, her legs were going numb and she wanted a cup of tea. Carefully she slid off the bed, stopping to see if Merlin woke. When he barely moved, Roxy went downstairs. As she poured herself some black tea , she considered if Merlin might want one as well. Checking in his cupboard she found honey and set about making him a cup of lemon and honey to swallow another cold tablet with.  
She got back to Merlin's room, to find the man wrapped in his doona and prodding feebly at the fireplace.  
"What are you doing?" she asked, pacing the cups on the table by the bed.  
"It's cold in here," he complained.  
The knight frowned. The fire had done a good job of warming the room, it was warmer in there now than it was earlier when he was complaining of the heat. A violent shover shook Merlin and he pulled the doona around himself some more.  
"Get back in bed," Roxy sighed. "There's a hot cup of drink for you."  
Merlin looked at her, unimpressed.  
"I promise I'll put some more logs on the fireplace. I doubt you'd even have the strength to lift one at the moment."  
Merlin found that statement offensive and told Roxy so, but the way his hand was shaking as he lifted his cup confirmed her words.  
Even with the hot drink and more fire Merlin felt cold. Logically he knew it was chills from being ill and that more blankets wouldn't change that. He sent the young knight to fetch blankets out of the spare bedroom regardless. Even with them, the Scotsman was miserable. He felt weak and shaky, he couldn't get warm and all he wanted to do was sleep, which was becoming a bit difficult with his nose being blocked. Roxy had shifted to the armchair by the window, her tablet replaced with a paperback from Merlin's library.  
After tossing and turning a few times and wrapping the blankets around himself like a cocoon, Merlin still wasn't able to get comfortable. He cleared his throat, mouth dry from breathing through it.  
"Roxy."  
she looked up at him.  
"Would you mind coming and sitting back on the bed?"  
A look of alarm crossed her face, and she hurriedly shoved a piece of paper in the book to mark her page.  
"I'm alright lass, just a bit cold," He flushed a little. "I was hopin' ye'd provide a bit mair body warmth."  
The young knight laughed a little, rising and making her way to where Merlin was laying. She stretched out again, but this time the line of her legs was against Merlin's back.  
Shortly after Merlin stopped shivering and fell into a light sleep.

It was another hour before Merlin woke again, the sky dark outside. Roxy hadn't moved except to turn the bedside lamp on.  
When Merlin sat up, he looked better. The dark smudges under his eyes were nearly gone and his skin wasn't so pale.  
"Think you're up to some food?" she asked him.  
"Aye, it I didn't know if there' much in the house," he responded.  
Roxy had figured she'd just raid the fridge or cupboards, and worst comes to worst there's the chance of take away. She vaguely wondered if he still had that left soup from a couple of months ago when she was sick.  
"If you don't mind I'm sure I can find something in your fridge," she said.  
Merlin remembered the leftover soup in his freezer and as such directed Roxy to heat that up with bread if she wished. They also decided to relocate downstairs for a bit, so Roxy lit the fire down there as well.  
Merlin was bundled up in a dressing gown, the only time he's been thankful (or really even used) the gift from Harry. Every joint in his body ached, he was still cold despite the sweat he could feel on him and his head felt heavy and full of cotton wool.

The TV was on, the news playing quietly while the sounds of movement and cooking floated in from the kitchen. Much as Merlin showed a tough, solitary persona at work, he was glad that he had friends that would call him on his stubbornness once in a while.  
Roxy came into the sitting room carrying two bowls and a plate balanced in the top.  
"Dinner is served," she joked, handing a bowl to Merlin.  
"Thank ye lass."  
They ate in comfortable silence, occasionally commenting on the news articles.

Despite sleeping during the day, Merlin was struggling to keep his eyes open by 8pm.  
"Roxy, I'm gooin' ta head ta bed soon. You can call a cab ta take ye home," he told her. "Or ye could stay in the spare room," he added hesitantly.  
Roxy chuckled. "Merlin I was going to be staying in the spare room whether you offered or not. Someone needs to make sure you don't try and work when you should be resting."  
Merlin scoffed at her and she raised an eyebrow.  
"I saw the way you were looking at my tablet before. It's bed time for good wizards."  
He chuckled at her before coughing.  
"Fine, I'll find ye some spare sleep stuff," he told her before heading up the stairs to bed.

The next morning Merlin woke up drenched in sweat. He felt mildly better, the headache going at least and his back less sore. However, overnight his sore throat had progressed to a cough and his nose was so blocked he could barely breathe.  
He got up, checking that the door to the spare bedroom was still shut. At least that meant Roxy was not in the bathroom, so he could soak under the showered a bit.  
Merlin let the out a happy sigh when he stepped under the warm spray. He lost track of how long he stood there, shutting off the water when he finally felt warmth to the core.  
Despite feeling better than the day before, he didn't think he'd be able to go into work especially with Roxy here. She'd never let him out of the house today. Instead he dressed in comfortable clothes and made his way downstairs for breakfast.  
Roxy hadn't quite got downstairs yet, so Merlin put the kettle on for them both and contemplated what he wanted for breakfast.  
He was still staring into his pantry when Roxy came downstairs.  
"The kettle's on," he called to her, turning away from the shelves.  
"Thanks, what have you decided for breakfast? She asked.  
"Haven't," he replied.  
Roxy stood beside him and surveyed the pantry.  
"Any preferences?"  
"I'd really like a proper Scottish breakfast," he told her.  
Mentally Roxy went through what was included.  
"Merlin, no. I'm not giving you a full fry up when you're sick. There's no way you'll finish it" she exclaimed.  
Merlin laughed. "Ye probably right. Porridge?"  
"Yea, I can do porridge," she told him snagging the oats off the shelf.

They spent the rest of the day in the sitting room, sci-fi movies playing on the TV. Roxy went home shortly after breakfast to grab clean clothes and some groceries, only to find Merlin on his laptop writing up reports.  
"I can't leave you alone for even half an hour, can I?" she reprimanded him when she saw him.  
"It's only a little bit o' paperwork. It cannae do much harm," he said through his blocked nose.  
"That's beside the point. Gaius told you to rest and this," she waved a hand at the computer, "is not resting."  
She stared at him until he closed the laptop with a huff and placed it on the coffee table.  
The rest of the day she kept an eye on him, ensuring he didn't try to so anymore work.

Again that night Merlin told her she could go home if she wanted. She was fairly sure that Merlin would be okay on his own, but Harry had asked to look out for their friend. She had text him earlier, but it as just as she was thinking over her options that her phone pinged. Harry had text her, the reply informing her that even if Merlin was behaving and seemed well, that he will go straight back to his workaholic habits if she left him alone.  
"Yea, actually I think I'll stay here again," she told Merlin.  
He looked at her suspiciously before giving in and telling her to make herself comfortable while he went up to bed.

When Merlin woke the next morning the alternating fevers and chills had gone as had the aches. However, his chest was tight and every breath in made him feel like couching. Even the hot steamy air in the bathroom didn't make it abate. This was exactly like what Percival had earlier in the month. Dammit, he'd caught the 'flu!  
Well, he was going to be confined to house arrest for at least a week, for the safety of the rest of the Kingsmen as much as for his own health.  
Merlin sat at the kitchen table, newspaper and a cup of tea in his hand.  
"How are you today?" Roxy asked as she started making her own cup of tea.  
"I have the damn 'flu," Merlin grumbled, before having a couching fit.  
Roxy just hummed in reply, she had suspected that from the start after all.  
"Ye can tell Harry I'll spend the next week workin' from home," he told her. "Ye don't 'have ta keep babysittin' me."  
"I don't mind, Merlin," she told him honestly. "It's nice to not be alone when you're unwell."  
In the end, they agreed that from tomorrow on Roxy would go into headquarters while Merlin did a little bit of work from his home office, nothing hard just some basic paperwork.  
However, for the rest of the day they sat in front of the TV watching a series Roxy had found which was based on a book they had both read.

The rest of the week passed with Roxy and Merlin eating breakfast together, usually whatever Roxy felt like cooking, and then the knight went off to work and Merlin set himself up in his office. To begin with Roxy came back from headquarters and made then both something for dinner, however for the last 3 days of Merlin's sick leave he felt well enough to cook for the both of them instead. Roxy decided his madras curry was her new favourite food after he made a mild version for dinner. They stayed away from anything too spicy after Merlin had a 5 minute coughing fit from the pepper steak.

It was the last morning of Merlin's leave and Roxy decided that she needed to thank Merlin for letting her stay (and for actually taking sick leave for once in his life. The older knights had told her stories of Merlin turning up to work barely able to stand). So Roxy had got up a bit earlier and started to prepare the Scottish breakfast Merlin had asked for a week ago. She fried enough of the eggs, sausages, bacon, tomatoes and mushrooms for both of them but made a single serving of the black pudding and potato scones. Roxy much preferred fried bread with her breakfast. Merlin came down to the kitchen just as Roxy was placing the ham onto their plates. He took both plates to the table as Roxy poured two cups of tea.  
"Ye even used the proper sausage, not the linked ones ye English use," he commented.  
"Yea, though I don't see the difference," she told him.  
"Taste and tradition, lass," he replied with a smile.  
They both started on their food, Merlin teasing Roxy with the black pudding and Roxy teasing him about how black he took his tea.

Just as Roxy was about to head to the manor, bag in hand as she was going back to her own apartment tonight, Merlin stopped her. He looked vaguely uncomfortable, like he wanted to do something but was stopping himself.  
"I really do appreciate ye staying an' helpin' me this past week," he told her.  
"It wasn't a problem Merlin," she replied.  
"So ye keep sayin' Roxy, but ye didn't have ta stay and look after me when ye have yer own life."  
Roxy laughed. "I'm a Kingsman agent, I don't have a life. Plus, you do so much to look out for us, you deserve to be looked after too."  
Before she could over think it, Roxy put down her bag and gave Merlin a quick hug.  
"See you at work Merlin," she called as she walked out the door.  
"See you tomorrow Roxy," he replied.  
The door shut behind the young knight, leaving Merlin in the sitting room smiling to himself.


End file.
